I'koto by J. W. McLdlan] [Highbury. easily, none have webbed feet. The flight HOATZIN. is weak; several species, indeed, have lost is much This is a native of the Amazons Valley, and lives entirely in the trees. this power altogether. The body compressed, enabling them to pass readily through the narrow interspaces of dense aquatic foliage. The Eails appear to be related on the one hand to the Game-birds, and on the other to the Cranes. In size they vary from a bird as large as a fowl to one as small as a lark.

One of the commonest of the Rails is the CORN-CRAKE, more commonly, perhaps, is one of the commonest sounds which theknown as the LAND-RAIL. Its curious grating cry its own. But rarely seen, it buildssummer brings with it, and one possessing a charm of its nest in hay-fields, and, when the grass is being cut, sits so closely on its treasures that it it falls not infrequently tois sometimes beheaded by the swinging scythe. In the autumn the sportsmen when partridge-shooting. The corn-crake leaves in the winter for the more congenial climate of Africa, a feat that seems wonderful when its feeble powers of flight are considered. Its near relative the WATER-RAIL is rather a handsome bird, but of shy and retiring habits. The WEKA-RAIL, a native of New Zealand, is one of the flightless forms to which we

The Game-birds and Rails 413

have referred. It is about as large as a pheasant, but lacks its splendour, being soberly clad in brown and black. Unlike its relative, it breeds in a burrow, which it digs for itself by the aid of its bill. The name " weka " was given it by the Maoris.

The COMMON WATER-HEN,

or MOOR-HEN, is one of the most familiar birds of the London parks, Although frequent enough to be seen upon streams and broads, it is, nevertheless, shy and wary; but in the sanctuary of the public parks all reserve is thrown off. The water-hen, like its allies, is an expert Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.] [Parson's Green. swimmer, in spite of the fact WEKA-RAIL. that the toes are not webbed; The wings, though fairly large, are useless for flight. on the contrary, they are very till only thelong and slender. When alarmed, these birds will often submerge the body beak projects above water.

All the members of this group are easily recognised by the bare patch of skin extending from the beak on to the top of the head. In the COOTS this is white; in the WATER-HENS and GrALLiNULES it is red. The coots and water-hens are clad in sober colours, grey or black; but the gallinules are gorgeously clad in purple, shaded with dark green, olive-brown, and black. MANTELL'S GALLINULE if New Zealand is probably now extinct, the last bird having been killed in 1898.

THE FIN-FEET.

These are little-known birds, found in Africa, South America, South-east Asia, and Sumatra. They are closely related to the coots, but differ therefrom in many important particulars. Like the coots, they are river-haunting birds, and have broad flaps of skin fringing the toes, which serve the purpose of a web; but they have much longer necks and tails than the coots and water-hens. Photo by W. F. Piggott] [Leigkton Not much is known about WATER-RAIL. them. This is a common British bird, seldom seen, on account of its retiring habits.

CHAPTER III.

PIGEONS AND SAND-GROUSE.

as a rule, are birds of wonderful powers of flight. The young, which never in number, are hatched perfectly blind and helpless, and but sparsely clothed.PIGEONS,exceed two

They are nourished by a peculiar milky secretion of the parents' crop known as " pigeons' is performed by the parent thrusting its beak into themilk." The operation of feeding mouth of its offspring and ejecting therein the secretion just referred to. The nest is a very simple structure, being composed of twigs, generally placed in a tree, but sometimes in a cave or hole in a bank. The eggs, which never exceed two in number, are pure white.

Perhaps the most beautiful species occur among the large group known as FRUIT-PIGEONS. Many of these are invested in raiment of vivid green and yellow, forming a little coterie by themselves the GREEN PIGEONS. Others, on account of their brilliancy, have been designated PAINTED PIGEONS, of which, perhaps, the most beautiful of all is EUGENE'S PIGEON. Try to imagine it! The head is pure white, the upper part of the breast a purple-red surrounded by : the a dull purple band under parts are greyish green, shading into white; the flanks green; whilst the upper parts o by j. T. Newman] [Berkhamsted. are also green, but of a rich A PAIR OF YOUNG PIGEONS IN NEST. bronze tint. Another group from the Fiji Islands includes The hair-like down of the young pigeon is quite different to any other nestling down. a magnificent species, the male of which is clothed in a glorious orange, save the head and throat, which are olive-yellow. His mate is scarcely less beautiful, her plumage being rich green. Another member of the group the WHITE NUTMEG-PIGEON is clad in creamy white, with black quills, and a black tip to the tail. It is a native of Borneo. The fruit-pigeons, it should be mentioned, include some of the largest of living pigeons.

Whilst many of the Pigeon Tribe seem to have succeeded in dyeing their feathers with all the hues of the rainbow, others have secured equal glory by a covering which at first sight would rather appear to be of burnished metal than of feathers. The most striking instance of this is found in the magnificent NICOUAR PIGEONS. There are two species of these birds, which occur not only in the Nicobar Islands, from which they take their name, but also in the Malay is black,Archipelago and the Solomon and Pelew Islands. The general tone of the one species but the upper parts are superbly glossed with bronze and copper reflections. The other, from the Pelew Islands, is indigo-blue in general tone. In one of the Nicobar Islands these birds occur in thousands. Furthermore, these two pigeons stand alone, in that the neck-feathers fowl.are greatly elongated, forming " hackles " like those of the common

The largest of living pigeons are the G-OURAS, or CROWNED PIGEONS. There are six species, 414

Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.] [North Finchley. Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.] ' [North Finchley.

SOUTHERN FKUIT-PIGEON. NICOBAR IMPERIAL FRUIT-PIGEONS.

The flesh of the fruit-pigeon surpasses that of all other birds in delicacy. These birds lay but a single egg, which is large.

Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.'] [Regents Park. Photo by W. f. Ztarttto, F.Z.S.] [Regent's Park.

NEW GUINEA CROWNED PIGEON. WONGA-WONGA PIGEON.

This is the largest of living pigeons. This bird is found in the brush country of Eastern Australia. 415

Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.) (North Finchley. SOUTHERN FKUIT-PIGEON. The flesh of the fruit-pigeon surpasses that of all other birds in delicacy.

4i6 The Living Animals of the World

all of which are confined to Australasia. They are characterised by a huge and very beautiful fan-shaped crest of feathers which springs from the crown of the head.

At the other extreme stand the NAMAQUA and SCALY DOVES. The former is regarded by : the latter are all the Pigeon TribeProfessor Newton as one of the most graceful in form of scarcely, if at all, larger than the sparrows.

The power of flight of some forms is, however, extremely limited; they bid fair in course of time to become flightless, like the dodo and the solitaire. The most interesting of these is the GREY-NAPED GROUND-PIGEON. Pigeons for the most part display a marked preference for a life among the trees rather than on the ground; but there are some which are essentially is most deeply rooted, and probablyground-dwellers. The species in which this changed habit of longest standing, exhibit one very interesting point of difference from their neighbours of the woods. This difference consists in the very considerably longer legs wThich mark the ground-haunting bird. The GREY-NAPED GROUND-PIGEON of South-east New Guinea forms an excellent example, inasmuch as the legs are much longer than in any other pigeon. These birds (for there are three species in all) resemble the Megapodes in habit, and frequent hills or dense thickets. They lay one egg, which is deposited at the foot of a tree.

Among domesticated breeds is the ENGLISH POUTER, a bird characterised by its enormous gullet, which can be distended with air whenever the owner wills. The carriage of the body is vertical, not, as in pigeons generally, horizontal. The CARRIER is a breed illustrating the result of long-sustained selection to increase, amongst other characters, the development of the bare skin surrounding the eye and beak of all pigeons, wild or tame. In the SHORT-FACED TUMBLER we have a breed wherein those birds with the shortest beaks ) . * j*/*, have been steadily bred from. To-day so little beak is left that some individuals are hatched which, when grown up, are unable to feed themselves. An example of a radical Photo by L. Medlcmd, F.Z.S.] [North FinehLey.

MALE BLACK-BELLIED SAND-GROUSE. change in the feathers is the INDIAN FRILL- Young sand-grouse run directly they are hatched, thus differing from BACK. In this case the feathers all over young pigeons. the body are reversed, or turned forwards, giving the bird a quite extraordinary appearance. In the JACOBIN we have a breed and we could cite others wherein the feathers of the neck are much elongated, and turn upwards and forwards over the head to form a hood.

In general appearance SAND-GROUSE are small, very short-legged birds, with small heads tail. Their general tone of coloration may be described as sand-and pointed wings and coloured, and this has been adopted to render them in harmony with the barren sand-wastes in which they dwell. But some may be described as quite highly coloured, being banded and splashed with chestnut, black, pearly grey, white, and yellow, according to the species.

PALLAS'S SAND-GROUSE is a native of the Kirghiz Steppes, extending through Central Asia to Mongolia and Northern China, and northwards to Lake Baikal, and southwards to Turkestan. Here they may be met with in enormous numbers. In North China large numbers are often is cleared away, and a small green bean is scattered about.caught after a snow-storm. The snow Young sand-grouse differ remarkably in one particular from young pigeons, inasmuch as the former are hatched covered with a thick down, and are able to run about soon after leaving the egg, whilst the pigeon comes into the world very helpless and "much in need of clothing. ; whilst the pigeon laysThree eggs are' laid, by the. sand-grouse, and these are double-spotted but two, which are white. The eggs of the sand-grouse are laid in a depression in the ground, without any nest.

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